During an assembly Friday afternoon in the North Pole High School gymnasium, Colledge was honored by his alma mater for a donation to improve that school’s weight room.
The Packers’ left offensive guard and 2000 North Pole graduate contributed about $20,000, which will fund three weightlifting stations.
At the end of an assembly to introduce the school’s spring sports teams, the 29-year-old Colledge spoke to the 730-member student body in the gymnasium, about a dozen yards from the weight room, then signed autographs.
“A few people are put into a position where they’re fortunate enough to have an opportunity to give back,” the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Colledge said before his speech. “I think if you’re in that position, you need to do it as much as you can. This is my first chance to do it for North Pole and it means a lot to me.”
It means a lot to the people of North Pole, too. Colledge was contacted by North Pole head football coach Richard Henert, and neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Jensen about contributing to the project.
Work on the weight room is scheduled to start during the next few weeks, said Henert. When it’s ready, the room will be available to the school’s athletic teams, its fitness and physical education classes and any North Pole student who wants to do a few chin-ups, bench presses or leg squats.
“Hopefully more sports teams will get involved in the weight room because we can utilize the space, we can get more people in the smaller space and do more things,” Henert said.
Colledge’s contribution is among many in the effort. Jensen, a native of Wisconsin and an avid Packers fan, provided financial support. There also were contributions from businesses such as Western Mechanical Inc., C&R Pipe and Steel and Span Alaska.
“It sounded like a perfect match,” Jensen said. “It’s someone from a team that I’m a lifetime fan of, and he’s someone’s who’s an accomplished athlete with a Super Bowl ring. I think it’s great, I’m happy to do it and it’s an honor to work with Daryn.”
After the contributions of other North Pole supporters were noted, Colledge received proclamations from North Pole Mayor Doug Isaacson and state legislators Tammie Wilson and John Coghill of North Pole. He had his
No. 55 Patriots jersey retired, and it was given to him in a glass frame by North Pole freshman Garrett Bennett and sophomore Ryan Wicklund.
Colledge also was given a hug by North Pole senior Jasmine Nichols during a question-and-answer segment with students.
“It was fabulous. He was (built) like a brick wall,” she said.
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